When It Rains, It Pours
by Moderndaydrifter
Summary: His luck has gone bad and all hope is gone...will they realize something is up and come to the rescue?
1. Chapter One

Thunder echoed through the car. The windshield wipers moved with the rhythm of the song playing on the radio. Rain fell hard on the windshield causing the visibility to not even be five feet in front of the car. Bosco fidgeted with the radio as static filled the speakers. The car swerved to the side, causing him to hydroplane slightly.  
  
"Dammit." He quickly jerked the wheel and corrected. He loved storms but not when he had to drive in them.  
  
Bosco hated two lane highways. Especially ones that looked straight out of horror movies. He looked sideways into the dense forest, the fog looking creepier than ever. He spoke aloud, "Come on Boz, you are acting like a chicken shit."   
  
This weekend was quite interesting for him. He had decided to drive north of New York City to visit his brother Mikey in a rehab clinic. He really didn't want to but hell, Mikey deserved to see him. Bosco decided to give him the time of day since he did in fact take the initiative to go and get straightened out. Bosco admired him for it.   
  
But now here he was, driving down a small, two-lane highway in heavy rain and thick lightning. Too bad he couldn't see this coming or he would've just stayed and called in sick for work the next day. As soon as one section of the storm would die down it would pick up and be worse than before.   
  
There were so many truckers on this road. He seemed to be the only regular car out there. He turned the knob for the defroster to come on and listened as the fan turned. The car seemed to be making funny noises, like something rattling under the hood. Bosco tried to ignore it, hoping it was just his imagination but the car began to decrease in speed, even though he kept his foot down hard on the accelerator.   
  
He pushed down hard again with his right foot, and floored the petal but the car still did not speed up. It just slowly died. Luckily he had enough momentum left to get the car to the side of the road and out of the way of the incoming traffic. He put the emergency brake on and hit the steering wheel with his fists.  
  
"Dammit! What is wrong with you now?" He leaned his head forward and watched as the rain continued to fall heavy and the lightning bolts lit up the sky. What a perfect time for this to be happening now. He grabbed his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and looked at the signal.  
  
There was none but he tried to dial a number anyway, there was no harm in that. He listened as the static entered his ears and a small recording came on. "We are sorry, but your number can not be completed as dialed. You may be out of your area, or the signal may be cut off. Try back again later."  
  
He mashed the end button and threw the phone down into the floorboard. "Fuck!" He didn't have later. It was already getting late and he had to work the next day. He decided to brave the rain and take a look at the car. He opened the hood up and felt the rain drench his hair and clothes. Too bad he didn't have a raincoat.   
  
He looked over the dead car, but really didn't see anything. He ran his hands over the hot engine and smelt burning oil. "Shit, I blew out the engine." He rolled his eyes. He knew he was stuck out here now unless his cell phone found a signal. He leaned against the car and watched as more storm clouds moved over him.  
  
  
  
Semi's would pass by, one splashing him, soaking him worse than he was. He had the urge to just hitch hike but really didn't trust it. He watched down the road as a red, Target truck drove up, slowing down as it approached him. He was somewhat thankful but in a way not really wanting it to.   
  
Out of the truck stepped a woman who looked about 35, with long, brown hair. She was quite skinny and somewhat attractive. Not really someone Bosco would consider dating but oh well, now wasn't the time to think about that.   
  
"You having some car trouble?" Her southern accent was thick as she crossed the street, a rain poncho covering her jeans and western shirt.  
  
Bosco looked at her and studied her. He then glanced back down at his Mustang and nodded. "Yeah, just died on me. I think the engine went out on me." He opened the hood for her to see.  
  
A loud thunderclap crackled over their heads, causing both of them to look up at the sky. "Yeah, you lost your engine. Looks like you ran out of oil."  
  
Bosco looked at her through the corner of his eye and closed the hood of the car. "Yeah, great." Water dripped off of him like he was in a swimming pool.   
  
More lightning struck, causing the ground to vibrate underneath them. "Say, where you headed? I'd be more than happy to escort you there unless you have help on the way or something."   
  
Bosco looked down the road, not really sure he wanted to go with her but what other choice did he have? He was down in a valley and his phone wouldn't work. His car was pretty much dead for good. "New York City."  
  
"Okay, hop in the rig. I'm headed down south so that is on my way."   
  
~~  
  
Faith dialed Bosco's number at 8:15 that night, worried because he wasn't home yet. He was supposed to be home by now. Fred looked at her from the living room.   
  
"What are you doing Faith?"   
  
Faith put the phone back in the cradled and stared at him. "Trying to call Bosco but I'm not getting an answer."  
  
Fred shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Maybe he just went out."  
  
She shook her head no and sat beside him on the couch. "It's his cell phone. He always answers his cell phone."  
  
Fred just scoffed. "I don't know why you worry about that guy. He's an adult. Maybe he just turned it off or something. Maybe he had a hot date and he didn't want to be disturbed if ya know what I'm saying." Fred winked and gave a deep, husky laugh.  
  
Faith slugged him in the arm. "Would you shut up?" She had to admit, that comment did make her smile though. He was right; she needed to stop worrying so much. She wasn't his mother. She had her own kids to worry about.  
  
~~  
  
Bosco had never really been up in a big rig before and it was quite amazing. Such a big ride and you could see many more things than from a car. The rain had somewhat slowed down but the roads were flooded. The only sounds that could be heard were voices from the CB, the raindrops that continued to fall, and the wipers that slapped back and forth before them. He was freezing cold from being soaked but he didn't let the lady know.  
  
"So, what's your name stranger?" The lady glanced at him and then back at the road as they approached a sharp curve. He watched as she down shifted.  
  
"Bosco."  
  
She nodded and gave a raspy laugh. "Bosco? That's a new one."  
  
He gave her a dirty look. "It's a nickname. I've had it all my life."  
  
"Do you mind me asking where they got Bosco from?" She ran her hands over the windshield, trying to get some of the condensation off.   
  
He took in a deep breath. Why was she so interested anyway, all he wanted was a damn ride back to the city where he could hitch a ride with a cab, a nice quiet cab that didn't have the curiosity of a cat. "It's just a nickname." He didn't want to tell her anything too personal; he had only known her for about 10 minutes. Bosco was enough information.  
  
"I'm Jackie Thorndale. I was born and raised in Lubbock, TX. You ever heard of it?"  
  
Bosco nodded. "Yeah, I have. Texas Tech is located there right?"  
  
"Oh yeah, huge Red Raider land." She smiled, happy that he was familiar with things.  
  
Bosco sniffed. "That's a good sports school. They've got good basketball and football. You go to school there?"  
  
She gave a sarcastic laugh that died out slowly. He knew he had made a mistake asking her that, she didn't look like the college going type. She licked her lips and began to speak. "No, I didn't go to school there. Too high tech for me."  
  
Bosco nodded, wishing she would just drive a little faster. He hated this situation and he wanted it to be over soon.  
  
~~  
  
Faith decided to go to bed early for the night. It was only 9:45 but it seemed so much later, she had been so exhausted from the days before. She lay in bed and listened to some rain as it pattered against her window. She dialed Bosco's number one more time and still got no answer.  
  
"Dammit, where in the hell could he be?"  
  
Fred overheard her and walked in the room. "I told you not to worry about it Faith. He's not Charlie ya know." He sat down on the bed beside where she was laying and rubbed her back. "You can be the biggest worry wart sometimes, ya know that?"  
  
She turned and faced him, her sense of humor wearing thin. "What the hell is that supposed to mean Fred?"  
  
He shrugged. "Nothing Faith, just drop it okay? He's fine, your fine, let's just shut up while we are ahead." He flopped down hard on the bed and grumbled as he turned the light off and slowly fell asleep.  
  
~~  
  
Bosco glanced at his watch as they continued to drive down the same highway he had been on for God knows how long. It was 10:15; surely they'd be getting close to the city by now. He shifted his weight in his seat and sighed as he watched the road lines pass before him.  
  
"You not much of a traveler?" Jackie ran her hands over the smooth steering wheel and grinned.   
  
Bosco cocked his head to one side. "I don't mind it, but this drive is taking longer than I thought it would."   
  
She blew a bubble with her gum and slowed the truck down some, "You gotta remember though Bosco, this is a big rig. We can't drive as fast as you boys do in your sporty little cars. Why are you in such a hurry to get back anyway? Getting away from city life can be a gift when you think about it."  
  
"I've gotta work tomorrow." Bosco knew what her next question would be, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to answer it or not.   
  
She crackled her gum between her teeth and nodded. "Oh yeah? What is your job?"  
  
He glared at her. He just knew she would ask that and here she did. He ran his hands over his now dry hair and then stared out the window. "I work for the city." He figured that was a good enough explanation to his job, after all he wasn't lying to her. He really did work for the city.  
  
"City work, eh? I guess you and me could relate then." She took her gum out of her mouth and placed it in an ashtray in front of him.   
  
"You have no idea."   
  
~~ 


	2. Chapter Two

Bosco could feel his stomach growl as they approached a small, one horse town in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately there was really nowhere to eat. Everything was either run down or closed. 'Just my luck', he thought as they made no time and like that, were out of the town.  
  
Jackie spoke into her CB, trying to find something to do so she wouldn't fall asleep. "Breaker 1-9, breaker 1-9, anybody out there got their ears on?"  
  
Static overtook the CB. Bosco was always interested in CB's, especially after seeing the movie Joyride. There really could be some wacko's out there.   
  
"I got mine on." Another female spoke, breaking the static.  
  
Jackie's eyes lit up. "I need a bear report, come on."  
  
The static filled again but was cut off by the other lady speaking once more. "You are clear for about 45 miles, once you get to the diner you might wanna keep your eyes open. Some sort of investigation is going on."  
  
Jackie queued her radio. "10-4, I'm out." She turned the volume down and looked over at Bosco. "You know what a bear report is?"  
  
Bosco nodded. "Yeah. You are checking for highway patrol."  
  
Her voice let out another raspy laugh. "That's right. You familiar with CB language?"  
  
"Somewhat." He still didn't want to mention to her that he was a cop, and he pretty much knew all of the 'code language' and signals. "So, how much longer is this drive gonna take? It's already nearly midnight."  
  
She leaned her head back on her headrest. "I'd say we are about an hour and a half outside of your destination."   
  
"Spectacular." The sarcasm was evident in his voice as he lightly slammed his head against the window.   
  
She downshifted the truck, and brought it to a stop on the side of the road. "Hey, I've gotta do something right quick. Check on some cargo in the back. Hang tight right quick okay?" She opened up her door and walked to the back. Bosco just waited.  
  
"Where the hell would I go?" He spoke aloud, glad she couldn't hear him. While he waited he looked at his cell phone. Two bars showed up on the signal screen and he decided to try to call someone. The other end rang and someone picked up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Bosco was so happy his phone had worked but he decided to make the call quick. Jackie would be back at anytime and he didn't want to be caught on the phone. "Hey. This is Bosco. I had some car trouble, I'm about an hour and a half north of the city. Not sure when I'll be getting in. I'm riding with a trucker." He gave out a small laugh, embarrassed that he admitted that.  
  
"Okay, thanks for calling and letting me know. A trucker eh? That's great Boz."  
  
Bosco nodded. "If anyone asks just spread the word, I'll see you later. My phone is about to go dead." He hung up the phone and waited for Jackie to come back.  
  
Jackie hopped up in the back but stayed near the end as she dialed a number on her cell phone. While she waited for an answer she lit up a cigarette and watched as the smoke lingered in front of her. Someone picked up, another female voice.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey babe, this is Thorndale. I've got someone riding shotgun with me." She flicked some ashes and kept her eyes on them as they diminished in the humid, rainy air.  
  
"Do you? Tell me about him?"  
  
She stomped the cigarette out and paced back and forth. "He's young, dark hair, light eyes. Not really talkative but I have gotten him to speak."  
  
The lady sighed, "And, what did he say?"  
  
"He said he works for the city. He was driving a Mustang but it broke down on him. I did a bear report over the CB and someone mentioned the diner being overrun by pigs doing an investigation. We might wanna sidetrack to avoid it, and I'll take him there in the morning if you'd like."  
  
"Whatever is safe." The other lady hung up the phone, leaving Jackie with dead air. She closed the face on her phone and made her way back up to the front where Bosco was still waiting.  
  
"Sorry about that, I had to talk to my boss about my deadline."  
  
Bosco sniffed. "No problem." Though it was a problem, all he wanted was to be home in some warm, dry clothes and away from this. His instincts were telling him to run but he just decided to ignore them. He had no way of getting home other than this.  
  
Jackie watched as he slowly dozed off, his eyes closing and his head falling back. She whispered, "Yeah, you go to sleep. You'll have a crude awakening."  
  
~~  
  
Faith woke up at 6:45 to get the kids ready for school. The first thing she did was dial up Bosco, she didn't care how early it was or if she woke him up. She waited and waited, but just rings entered her ears. She waited for his machine to finish and then she spoke.  
  
"Bosco, this is Faith. I'm just calling to see if you made it home okay. As soon as you get this give me a call." She hung up the phone and threw it on the kitchen counter.  
  
"Still can't get a hold of him?" Fred rummaged through the refrigerator. "Where's my lunch for today?"   
  
She ran her fingers through her hair. "Behind the milk. And no, I can't reach him." She paused and noticed one of his lecture glares spreading across his face. "Look Fred, I know he could've stayed with someone else for the night. I know all of the possibilities but I'm still going to worry. That's just me."  
  
Fred grabbed the brown paper bag. "Okay. I'll see you tonight." He kissed her and called for the kids. She waved and watched as they left.   
  
"This is going to be a long day." She sat down on the couch and watched an early morning talk show.  
  
~~  
  
Bosco slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them. He had no clue where he was, just that it was dark and smelled of mildew. He moved around, still unable to see to the end of his nose. Fear began to overtake him. He had never liked dark places and here he was, somewhere pitch black. He pressed the light on his watch to see the time. It was 7:30.   
  
Jackie made her way to the back of the truck and opened it up, exposing sunlight throughout the trailer. Bosco squinted as the brightness poured in, and he shielded it with his arm. He had no idea how he ended up in the back. He sat up.  
  
"Where the fuck are we?" His temper was wearing thin. He was sick of playing games.  
  
Jackie smiled. "Settle down Bosco, I kinda got side tracked and got lost. We are about 2 hours outside of New York City."  
  
Bosco stood up and walked towards her. "Side tracked. How the fuck could you get sidetracked? That highway we were on would've led you right into the city. How could you get lost?" He raised his voice, knowing something was up.   
  
"I guess I dozed off." She shrugged, knowing she'd have to make a move and restrain him soon; he was growing pretty angry with her.  
  
He nodded. "Dozed ah? I think your story is full of holes myself."  
  
She laughed. "Full of holes? I'd love to shoot you full of holes." Her face turned evil as she stood there, waiting to see his reaction.   
  
He backed away, but quickly jumped down off the trailer and tried to run off, when he felt the cold metal of a shotgun barrel up against his neck. He knew he was in deep shit now, if only he'd have listened to his instincts.  
  
"Where do you think you are going?" A different female voice filled his ears. "Turn around." She prodded the gun deeper into his neck.   
  
He turned around slowly and looked her straight in the eyes, but decided not to say a word to her. He didn't want to get himself killed by his smart ellick remarks.  
  
The lady turned and looked at Jackie who was now stepping off of the trailer. "You picked a good one this time Jackie. He's a looker." She clicked her tongue against the front of her teeth and grinned at Bosco. "My name is Harley." She still kept the shotgun aimed, directly at his heart.  
  
Harley was about 6'2" and 210 pounds. She was built pretty much like a man, and looked just about as strong as one. Bosco knew she'd put up a good fight, whether it was against a man or a woman.   
  
He glanced down at it and back up at her, a blank expression showing across his face. How could he let himself be taken over by a bunch of women? Surely he could outsmart them somehow, but he wasn't sure. He shuffled his feet a little bit and waited, still keeping his mouth shut.  
  
"When someone has the courtesy of introducing themselves you should have the courtesy to introduce yourself back." Harley hit the shotgun across the back of his knees, sending him down to the moist dirt that covered the ground. She laughed a husky laugh and stared down at him, as he remained crouched down.  
  
Pain shot through his legs. All he wanted to do was beat the shit out of her but the gun remained pointed at him, this time in his face.   
  
"Are you going to introduce yourself?" Harley cocked her head back and waited.  
  
He wrinkled his nose and tried to give the rudest look he could put across his face. "Fuck you." He spit up at her, hitting her in the neck.   
  
Her anger flared as she wiped it away. She hit him across the face with the wooden handle of the gun, sending him backwards, his head hitting the highway pavement hard. His world went black for a second but his sight came back, and all he could see was three women standing over him, each had a gun in their hands.  
  
"That'll teach you to say fuck you to me, boy. You have no clue who you are messing with."  
  
Bosco could feel the warm blood from his nose gush down his face. He quickly wiped some away with his hands but more fell, soaking into his blue shirt that was now covered in mud. He still remained quiet, hoping they'd get the clue that he didn't want to talk.  
  
Harley squatted down beside him at eye level. She looked into his blue eyes. "I'm going to ask you again, boy. What is your name? No smart ellick remarks, I don't deal with smart asses well."  
  
Bosco moved some dirt around that was under his hands. "Then you won't deal with me well." He gave a cocky grin and threw some of the dirt he had collected into her face. Her mouth let out a few sheer yelps but she gained her composure.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" She yelled as she reared back and kicked him right in his manly parts. He doubled over with pain, this time groaning loudly as the hurtness shot through his whole body this time. He gritted his teeth and looked up at her, wanting to shoot her so bad but was unable too.  
  
Harley wiped the dirt off of her face. "Someone tie this bastard up, I don't want to deal with him right now."  
  
Bosco tried to fight the women off as they carried him up to the old, run down diner that of course, was located in the middle of nowhere. He tried pulling away but their grasps were strong. They sure were a lot stronger than he thought.   
  
He felt the hard rope cross his legs and wrists as they tied him up to a huge metal pole located in the very middle of the building. He moved around more, this time only causing his wrists to get rope burned. They began to bleed as well. He looked at them as they all three stared down at him.  
  
Two other women arrived, he was assuming they were truck drivers too. He hated this more than anything. They all stared down at him like he was some food display or some Play Girl magazine article.   
  
A younger, somewhat more attractive girl crouched beside him and giggled. She ran her palms over his cheeks and gave a flirtatious smile. "My name is Bunny. You know why they call me bunny?"  
  
Bosco turned his face away. He knew exactly why they called her Bunny.   
  
"They call me Bunny because I do it like a bunny." She giggled again and ran her hands over his chest. He tried to pull away but of course, couldn't move. She noticed his resistance.  
  
"What? You don't like me? Why are you rejecting me?"  
  
He pushed her away with his body. "Get the hell off of me." He closed his eyes, hoping someone had now realized he was missing. He needed help, and fast.  
  
~~  
  
Faith sat in roll call, her eyes searching for Bosco, but of course, no luck. Maybe he was just running late if he did in fact have a date last night when he got home. Something didn't seem right though. She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, trying not to think about things when Swersky interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"You guys need to be on the lookout for any truck driver you come across. Stop them, check their logbooks, make sure their tags are up to date, and make sure there is no suspicious activity going on. This case is probable cause enough to stop them."  
  
Faith raised her eyes. "What case sir?"  
  
Swersky ran his hands over some papers that were in front of him. "There have been some murders up north of here. A truck driving club or group has been suspected. Mainly guys age 30 to 35 have been targeted. Basically what this group does is pick them up, treat them good for some time, and then turn on them. They also beat them, torture them, do obscene things that I wouldn't wish on anyone. Eventually after they've had their fun, they kill them. There have already been 5 murders reported. We want you guys to keep a lookout because they could be moving through the city, we aren't sure yet."  
  
Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing. How cruel.   
  
"Has anyone seen Boscorelli today?" Christopher waved a discipline sheet in front of his face.   
  
Faith stood up and gasped. "No sir. He was up in northern New York visiting his brother and he hasn't made it back yet. He was supposed to be back last night." She realized the irony in what she said, and somehow knew Bosco was involved in this truck driver case. 


	3. Chapter Three

Faith went straight to Swersky's office after roll call, her mind wondering about all the possibilities. Her mind said he was fine, that he just decided to stay one more day but her heart said he was kidnapped, kidnapped by those wretched animals that had already killed.   
  
She knocked on his door and he welcomed her right in. "Faith, you are working solo today. You have any idea where Bosco could be?"  
  
"No sir." She shook her head. "He went out of town yesterday to visit someone and that's the last I've heard."   
  
Swersky nodded and took a long sip of coffee. "Right. Okay, well for now just work alone. Stay safe. If he calls you, tell me."   
  
"Yes sir."  
  
~~  
  
Bosco was somewhat relieved when the women left, he was guessing outside the building. He tried to move around the pole but they had him restrained good, better than he could do. He licked his lips and shifted his weight off of his right hip to his left and gave out a low groan. Could his luck get any worse?  
  
He tried to listen through the window at them talking, but all he heard were mumbled voices and faint laughter. He tried to slide closer but knocked over a chair, sending out a loud crash. He clenched his teeth as he tried to move back to his original position, hoping they hadn't heard.   
  
But of course, his luck was bad, and they did in fact hear. He leaned his head against the pole and stared up at them as they stood over him once more. Harley cracked her knuckles and swung her fists back and forth, taunting him in hopes that he'd crack under the pressure.  
  
"What you doing boy?" She leaned against the pole, directly over him, staring him straight down in the eyes.  
  
Bosco gave a sarcastic grin. "Testing the chair's durability." He knew that would light a fire under her ass, he just loved doing that.  
  
Harley took a deep breath in and looked over at Jackie. "You just had to pick a smart ass didn't you?" She grabbed a small, Swiss Army knife from her back pocket and opened it, waving it in front of his face.  
  
Jackie broke the silence. "Earlier you said I did good. You didn't complain about his looks now did ya?"  
  
Harley just gave her a look that would freeze hell over and drew herself back to Bosco. She clicked the knife against her front teeth and ran the blade down Bosco's cheek. "You know what it feels like for a knife to go all the way through your body? In through you stomach, out through your back?" She continued to run the knife over his face and down his lips.  
  
He stared down at the blade as best as he could. He wasn't sure how to answer her; all he could feel was the coldness of the metal and her hot breath down his neck.   
  
"When someone asks you a question you answer." She applied pressure to the knife and cut a small slit down his left cheek.  
  
He jerked away. "No, I've never felt a knife go through me."  
  
She pulled the knife away and wiped the blood on his shirt. "I knew I could get pretty boy here to talk." She looked around at the other girls and then back at him. "You wanna know how it feels to have a knife go through you?"  
  
"Not particularly." He wiped some of the blood away with his shoulder and stared down as it soaked into his shirt.   
  
She stood up again and closed the knife. "Why did you knock that chair over then?"  
  
He could feel more blood pour out, luckily it was just a small flesh wound and a scab would be forming soon. He looked over at the chair, then back to her. "I was moving my legs to get comfortable and it fell."  
  
She gave out another raspy laugh, causing the other women to smile as well. "You aren't in this to be comfortable. What do you think this is, a game? City boy here wants to be pampered. That's too damn bad." She snarled and walked away.  
  
He let out a sigh of relief; thankful they were gone.... for now.  
  
~~  
  
Faith sat in the RMP and stared out the window. The car was quiet, almost too quiet for her taste. She had ducked out of three calls, not because of the fact that she didn't want to go, just because she didn't even hear central call anyone. Her mind was so intently focused on Bosco not being here that she just didn't listen.  
  
She kept her eyes open for any semi trucks that would come by, but she hadn't seen any yet. "5-5 David, boss needs you at the station."  
  
Faith queued her radio. "10-4." She made a quick U turn and in no time was at the station, her mind wondering in so many directions.  
  
~~  
  
She ran her hands over her shirt as she entered Swersky's office. She hoped to God he had some good news but the look on his face was intent, like he was eager to get something done. She sat down across from him and waited while he finished his phone call up.  
  
He hung the phone up and placed his hands on his desk. "Yokas, have you heard from Boscorelli yet?" He moved around some papers, what she was guessing was a nervous act on his part since one of his officers was missing.  
  
She looked from side to side and then back at him. "No sir, I haven't heard anything."  
  
"Have you tried calling his apartment?" He knew she had, but he needed to ask just to make sure.  
  
Faith nodded, licking her lips. "Yes sir, several times. You want me to go check? Maybe he's just sleeping or something, maybe he forgot he had to work today and he turned his ringer off." She shrugged, knowing that more than likely wasn't the case.  
  
He leaned back in his chair and thought about what she had just said. "Sure, I'll send Sully and Davis with you."  
  
~~  
  
They made their way up the stairs to his apartment door, the silence throughout the building was eerie. She just knew he wasn't home but what harm would it be to check it out anyway? Maybe her luck would change.   
  
She watched as Sully opened the door and they all three walked inside. The apartment was somewhat messy, not as bad as she had pictured. Not a sound came from any room as they walked their way through. She opened his bedroom door and no Bosco was present.  
  
She met them back in the living room.  
  
"No sign of him where we looked." Davis looked around the living room.  
  
Faith nodded. She knew he wouldn't be here or he would've answered his phone. It just wasn't like him to duck calls. "Okay, let's tell Swersky."  
  
~~  
  
Bosco lay in the same place and wondered what the girls had planned. He had been there for what he was guessing for quite awhile, and his body was starting to grow sore from the heavy blows he endured, and the awkward position he was laying.  
  
Surely someone from work had noticed he was missing. He heard footsteps once more causing his heart to beat faster as Harley and Jackie appeared, but no one else. Jackie held a .45 glock in her hand and he watched as she tapped it against her thigh.   
  
Harley cut through the rope that had him tied up and picked him up by the throat, her grip hard on his neck. She was a whole lot taller than him, he had to look up to see her face more clear. He gasped for a few breaths of air as she loosened her grip on him.  
  
"Change of scenery for you pretty boy." She pulled his shirt, causing it to rip slightly as she guided him to a small, custodian closet in the back of the diner. "Hope you like dark places with tons of spiders." She laughed as she looked back at Jackie who still held the gun.  
  
Bosco hated closets, he always had. He suddenly had the urge to hit her, now was his chance since he wasn't restrained. He reared back and hit her hard across the face, sending her body in a free fall towards the hard wood floor.   
  
His legs told him to run, so that's what he did. He jumped through a small glass window, the shards piercing his skin as he hit the ground hard. He could hear footsteps running after him and the echo of a gunshot ring out through his ears.   
  
He didn't even feel the bullet enter until after he fell. He looked down at his leg, noticing the blood flowing all over the dirt beneath him. Jackie had hit him in the calf. Luckily the bullet only brushed his skin, but the wound was painful enough for him to stop running. The wound screamed out with pain and burned like fire.   
  
He crawled across the dirt, dragging his legs but of course, they caught up to him. Jackie cocked the hammer back on the gun again. "You want me to shoot you again? I will."  
  
Harley grabbed the gun from Jackie and hit Bosco across the face with the butt of it. "Listen to me pretty boy, you are gonna die. Not as of right now, but believe me, we will kill you. We've already killed other guys, you are just next on the list. You trying to escape like that just made you death more painful."  
  
Bosco clenched his teeth. "You won't kill me. You have no idea who you are messing with." Sweat poured into his eyes, burning them slightly.   
  
"Oh really?" Harley's voice squeaked and the sarcasm was present in the tone. "I've got the gun. The gun makes the rules. You are the one on your back, bleeding. Your life is in my hands. So just what makes you think that I won't kill you?"  
  
The wind began to pick up, sending a cool breeze down on them. Bosco tried to roll over but Harley stopped him with her foot. She glanced at Jackie. "You search this loser? Check his wallet and stuff?"  
  
Jackie shrugged. "No."  
  
Harley squatted down beside him and searched his pockets, finding his cell phone and wallet. She quickly smashed the cell phone on a tree and watched as the pieces fell to the dirt. She then opened up his wallet, finding his driver license and of course, his badge. She held it up for Jackie to see.  
  
"What did he say his job was?"  
  
Jackie looked at the badge. "He said he worked for the city."  
  
Harley read over the driver license. "Maurice Louis Boscorelli. Geez, did your mama hate you when she named you? That's the dumbest name I've ever heard."  
  
Bosco couldn't fight off the smart ellick remark that he had on the tip of his tongue. "As opposed to your name being Harley? Is your last name Davidson?" He kept his eye on the gun that was still being pointed at him. If it weren't for that he would've already made run for it.  
  
This flared up Harley's anger. "You son of a bitch!" She stood up and kicked him over and over, causing him to black out from time to time. Jackie pulled her back.   
  
"Save it Harley, we'll kill him later, that will be the fun in it. Don't waste it right now."  
  
Harley snarled. "This is the worst one yet. Got the biggest mouth on him." She wiped away some sweat that formed on her brow. "So you are a cop?"  
  
"That's what the badge says, doesn't it?"  
  
Harley pulled him up by the hair. "Lock his ass up in the closet. I'm tired of this. Oh, and Maurice, you better start praying to God for forgiveness of sins. Your day of reckoning is coming soon."  
  
~~  
  
Swersky paced back and forth, wondering what the hell was going on with one of his best officers. This just wasn't right; when Bosco didn't come in he called to let them know. And that was once in a blue moon when he even did that.  
  
Faith watched. "Sir, could we possibly send someone up there to check things out? It is possible those truckers have him right?"  
  
Swersky gave out a groan, acknowledging that he heard her. "We've got detectives up there right now. They haven't made a move because they need a warrant."  
  
Faith's eyes widened. "What? A warrant! Don't they have enough to go on?"   
  
Davis grabbed Faith's arm. "It'll be okay. Just keep your cool."  
  
Tears ran down Faith's cheeks. "Keep my cool? I have no idea what is going on. Bosco could be dead for all we know and here we are, sitting here, twiddling our thumbs about it."  
  
Sully broke in. "Couldn't you send someone from down here just to go check things out? Just to reassure that things are okay?"  
  
Swersky shook his head no. "No, they don't want anyone else up there, it'll ruin the investigation. Our best bet is just to stay here and see how it goes. That's all I can say. Bosco may not even be involved in this. Maybe he had a family emergency. You said he was up there visiting his brother right?"  
  
Faith nodded in between sobs. "Yeah. But the bad thoughts are still here."  
  
~~  
  
Bosco hated the dark. This reminded him all to well of his childhood. Locked in the closet with wounds that sent sharp pains through his body. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, like this was it for him. Questions arose in his mind.   
  
Would this be the way he was going to die?  
  
Had God had this written out for him since the day he was born?  
  
Unanswered questions, things that could make anyone go crazy.   
  
He reached down and felt of the leg wound. Luckily it had stopped bleeding but it was still hurting. He just knew some kind of infection would show up from him being in the disgusting closet that he was in.   
  
He ran his hands over his face. The dried sweat made him feel gross. His clothes had caked on dirt and mud, not to mention the blood that Harley had wiped on him from the knife blade. His body felt sorer than after a hard workout. He could just feel small knots forming on his stomach where he had been kicked so many times.  
  
His breathing grew heavy, wondering why no help had been sent his way yet. Too bad he wasn't a punctual person, then they would've realized right away that something was up. He knew his friends at the 55 were smart, so he kept his faith up in hopes that they'd be there soon, or it'd be too late. 


	4. Chapter Four

Faith looked down at her watch. It was 10:30 pm, the day moved like molasses to her. She could only remember responding to one call the whole day, other than that her thoughts were on Bosco. She wanted to do something, needed to do something but she wasn't even sure where in the hell he was.   
  
Her wishful thinking was that he decided just to stay and see Mikey for another day but that wasn't logical. He would've called in and told Swersky. In the back of her mind she knew something was going on, something that had to do with the truckers that Swersky had mentioned in roll call.   
  
She shrugged it off, Fred's words echoing through her ears. She knew she worried too much, but that was her nature. She decided to make her way back to the station, nothing was going down on the streets and she was just wasting gas by driving around.  
  
~~  
  
She nodded to Sully and Davis as she made her way to her locker. The eerie silence made her want to speak so she made small talk.  
  
"How was your day guys?" She took down her hair and ran a brush through it.  
  
Davis scoffed. "Actually quiet for once. I think we stopped about 400 trucks though. Not my idea of action."  
  
Sully's gravelly voice took over. "Yeah, heaven forbid we not have a shootout and people get killed."   
  
Faith raised her eyebrows, realizing Sully was in one of his moods. "No luck on the truckers?" Of course not she thought or she would've already heard about it.  
  
Davis shook his head no. "Nope. Let's just say I don't wanna mess with them again though."  
  
Faith let out a small giggle. "Yeah, I hear you. I'm gonna get going. You guys call me if you hear anything about Bosco, no matter what time it is."  
  
"Yeah, you do the same for us." Sully and Davis waved back as she exited the locker room.  
  
~~  
  
Bosco sat in the dark closet, unaware of the time. He could hear the faint sound of crickets in the background but nothing more. A small hint of cleaning chemicals could be smelled inside the closet, but besides that mold and dust took over. His leg continued to throb from the small bullet wound but it could've been worse. He just couldn't believe he let a situation like this happen to him.  
  
He heard footsteps on the wooden floor and the squeak of the hinges pull open, and there stood Harley and Jackie. In Harley's right hand she held a 9 millimeter handgun and in the other a small, half loaf of wheat bread.   
  
"You hungry?" She threw up the bread and caught it again.   
  
Bosco was definitely hungry but he didn't want to take that. They could've poisoned it or something and he didn't want to take that chance, no matter how hungry he was.   
  
"No thanks. I'm not hungry." He shifted his weight and noticed more dust sticking to him from the moist sweat on his body.  
  
Jackie gave out a raspy laugh. "You aren't hungry? You haven't eaten since you've been in my custody. Are you anorexic or something?"   
  
Harley threw the bread down on his stomach. "Are you afraid we poisoned it or something?" She rolled her eyes, knowing it crossed his mind. "Well don't worry, that's not how you are going to go. We have something more painful lined up for you. Being poisoned is too damn easy." She grabbed a chunk of the bread off of the corner and took a bite. "If I did do something to it do you think I'd be eating it?"  
  
Bosco shrugged as he stared down at the loaf that was lying on his stomach. "You never know with white trash."  
  
You could practically see flames come out of Harley's ears from that last comment. He couldn't help it though; she made such an easy target to do that to.   
  
She kicked him as hard as she could in the side, sending another sharp pain through his body. He tried not to show pain but she had steal-toed boots on and it hurt like hell. He winced and watched as the bread fell down into the dust.   
  
Harley pointed the gun down at his face. "You ready to be shot again? You know we'll do it."  
  
He glared at her. "Maybe Jackie would, but I doubt you would. You've gotta hire people to do the dirty work. You fucking coward." He spit up at her, barely missing.  
  
Harley cocked the hammer back, shooting him in the shoulder. Bosco could feel the warm blood gush out quickly, the heat of the bullet making him sweat.   
  
"So I've gotta hire people eh? What the hell did I just do? You've really gotta learn to keep your damn mouth shut pretty boy. Just look at where it has got you." She pointed down at all that had happened to him. "I can't believe you are a cop, I bet you can't keep confidential shit private because of that big mouth of yours."  
  
Bosco felt the sweat drip down his face as he held the wound. Blood continued to poor out and he tried to apply as much pressure as he could. He took two deep breaths. "So, if you are going to kill me why don't you do it? What's keeping you from it?" He kept his eyes on Harley as she leaned against the wall, you could practically see the wheels turning in her mind.  
  
A grin spread across her face as she thought up an idea. "A little thing called torture. Gotta love it." She scratched her forehead with the barrel of the gun. "I live for torture."  
  
He tried moving his shoulder but more pain shot through his body so he kept as still as he possibly could. He licked his lips and moved his legs. The loss of blood from his leg and now shoulder was already starting to take its toll on his body, and he grew weaker as every second passed by.   
  
"Oh look, Maurice is about to go to la la land for awhile." He patted his cheek and he jerked away as best as he could. "Make sure you sleep with one eye open, pretty boy."  
  
~~  
  
Faith lay in bed after waking up from a horrible dream. She couldn't remember the details of it or who was even in it. It was one of those dreams where you just wake up in a cold sweat, knowing you endured something you wouldn't want to in real life.  
  
She rolled over feeling Fred next to her. She searched for the phone that she found under his pillow, and accidentally, she woke him up.   
  
He groaned and yawned. "Faith, what are you doing?" His voice was groggily and he was still half asleep.   
  
She dialed Bosco's number and didn't answer Fred. Unfortunately his answering machine picked up. She slammed the phone down on the bed, more worry overtaking her. "Dammit! Where in the hell are you Bosco?"  
  
Fred sat up in bed. "You gotta be kidding me Faith. You are still hung up on that? Did he not come into work today?"  
  
She glared at him. "No, or I wouldn't be worried. Think about it Fred." She swung he legs to the side of the bed and sat on the edge, fighting the urge to go look for him. "This is giving me gray hairs, I don't even know what to do." A cry erupted from her lips.  
  
Fred grabbed her hand but she quickly pulled it away. "Don't Fred. You haven't been supportive this whole time. You are always doubting me." She wiped her cheek with a Kleenex. "You've gotta learn that I have good instincts."  
  
"Faith, you don't even know what's going on. Maybe he just took a vacation or something." Fred shrugged knowing she wouldn't buy that. He had no idea what to say to her though.  
  
"Fred, just go to sleep. You don't even know." She shook her head with disgust, wishing this were all just a bad dream.  
  
~~  
  
Bosco woke up to more pain shooting through his body. He moved over onto his side, still very unaware of what time it was. Panic overtook him as he sat in the darkness as more memories flashed before his eyes of when he was a kid. The pain, the smell, the feeling of this situation. It all seemed too familiar to him.  
  
He wished something would happen. He wished that they would just go through with it and kill him already or someone come and save him. He knew he didn't have much chance of getting away, but he wasn't going to give up yet. It wasn't in his nature to just roll over and die when there was still a fighting chance to live.  
  
He sat up, his head feeling the need to explode as he tried to stand up. He grabbed the doorknob, bracing himself on it, feeling the weakness of his leg wound to its full extent now that all of his weight was applied to it. He turned the knob but of course it was locked. They must've had it locked from the outside, rigged for all the men they had before him. He searched around the dark closet in search of anything he could use to open the lock.  
  
He moved his hands around on the floor and across shelves, hoping in the back of his head that he could actually find something small enough and pointy enough to get through the keyhole. It was the last shred of hope he had, to find something to get him out of this cramped space, and out of the diner for good.   
  
He turned in circles, his head spinning from panic that overtook his body. All he could find were sponges, mops and brooms, and tons of cleaning equipment. He was tempted to just bust the door down, but the women were definitely sitting on the other side, and they'd greet him with a gun to the face.   
  
He grabbed his shoulder that continued to throb with pain as his free hand continued to search the shelves that he could barely see in the darkness around him. He found a toolbox on a bottom shelf and quickly opened it, a Phillip's screwdriver at the top of it. He grabbed it in one swift move and brought it to eye level, looking at the tool as if it were a million dollars. It was in fact that important to him right now, the best thing he had seen in quite some time.   
  
He moved his sore body towards the door and put the screwdriver up to the keyhole but stopped himself. If he opened up the door they'd be there, ready to kill him on the spot. He needed to know for sure if they were out there or not so he sat down, and decided to make some noise. He knocked over a mop and waited to see if they would come butt their nose in.   
  
No sound came from the other side of the door. He moved another mop across the shelf, this time making much louder racket but again, no reaction from anything. He slowly stood up. Now or never he thought, and he picked at the lock, working the door open.   
  
He looked around the dark diner, not seeing a single soul around him. He put the screwdriver in his pants pocket, for safe keeping just in case he needed it as some sort of weapon or something. He noticed their semis parked out in the parking lot, and he just knew they were asleep in the back area of it.  
  
His breathing grew heavy as he walked out the front door of the diner, hoping none of them were awake at the moment.  
  
Harley turned over on her small cot that was placed in her sleeping quarter of her big rig, her instincts coming into play. She yawned and noticed her TV was on, so she quickly grabbed the remote and hit the power button, hearing the silence of the secluded area around them. More rain began to fall and she rolled over, ignoring every instinct that was screaming at her.   
  
Her thoughts told her to get up and go look outside but she couldn't find the energy to even peal herself from the warm bed and the blankets that surrounded her.   
  
Bosco slowly walked, feeling the late night rainfall, soaking his clothes and hair. He heard rocks and sticks crackle under his boots and he stopped in his tracks, hoping no one would hear. He slowly averted his eyes to the rigs that were present, hoping no lights would flash on.  
  
Harley sat up in bed, it was almost as if she had ears like a dog. She quickly grabbed a flashlight and flashed it through the window, noticing a shadow across the parking lot of the diner. She put on a sweater, opened the passenger door and hopped out, a .22 caliber in her sweater pocket. She peaked around the side of the truck and saw Bosco, making his way through some trees, his limp heavy and one of his hands applied to his shoulder.  
  
She grinned an evil grin and exhaled deeply, beginning her way towards him. She quickened her pace, not even worried if he'd hear her or not.  
  
He heard the footsteps behind him, but he didn't even bother to look as he tried to break out into a run, but his leg didn't agree with him. Harley easily caught up, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him to the ground.  
  
His vision blurred for a few seconds, but the clear view of Harley showed over him. She held the gun right in his face, a toothy grin showing as she cocked the hammer back on the gun.  
  
"You just don't give up do you little Maurice?" She squatted beside him, her hand slightly shaking from holding up the weapon.   
  
Bosco could feel the screwdriver in his pocket. His first reaction was to reach for it but he played it cool at first, trying to keep her attention to his face and not down at his hands. He could feel the rain pick up more and the mud splatter up into his hair and all over his already dirty clothes.  
  
"You just want your death to be the worst don't you? The more you fuck up like this the more we add onto your torture." She shook her head as she shifted her weight, also switching the gun from her right hand to her left hand.  
  
Bosco thought now was the opportune time to reach for the tool. He moved as quickly as he could, jabbing the screwdriver into the side of her leg as hard as he could, causing her to fall sideways into a huge mud puddle. The night air filled with cries erupting from her lips. Bosco looked down, noticing the blood gushing from her calf. He quickly pulled the screwdriver out, huge drops of blood dripping off of it.  
  
He felt a cold hand on his shoulder and noticed Jackie standing over him, a deer rifle now pointed at the back of his head.   
  
She wiped some water from her brow and began to speak, noticing how much pain her partner was in. "I would shoot you in the head Maurice, but that would be too easy on you. Instead.." She trailed off as she walked in front of him, grabbing the screwdriver out of his hand. "Instead I'm going to jab this in you, just so you know how it feels."  
  
He could feel his heart begin to beat out of his chest as she ran the tool over his face and down his neck. "Where do you want it first?"  
  
He grabbed some mud from under his leg and slung it towards her face as fast as he could, causing her to drop the screwdriver, but she quickly picked it up again before he could even attempt to gain it back. He knew she was pissed, hell he would be too if someone slung mud in his eyes.  
  
"You just made me decide for you." She quickly lunged at him, stabbing his side, right under his ribs. He felt the sting immediately, and the warmth of his blood soak through his already saturated shirt. The pain was too much and he crawled into a fetal position, his body not cooperating with what his mind told him to do.   
  
Jackie quickly grabbed the shotgun once more and cocked back the hammer. Bosco was helpless; there was nothing more he could do. All he did do was stare down the long barrel, as two gunshots echoed throughout the secluded section of the highway. 


End file.
